"I know that's the first thing they think about out here (at the track) - it's a different little look," Jackson told USA TODAY Sports with a chuckle. "But it was so widely covered. The race itself made that go further. The fans sent the YouTube links to each other, and it jumped to like (10) million views. It's crazy. It shows you the power of Daytona."

Jackson might have more people to kiss on Sunday - Swan Racing drivers Parker Kligerman and Cole Whitt, who Jackson promised to smooch if they won the Daytona 500. The rapper's headphones company, SMS Audio, is an associate sponsor for both Swan Racing cars - a two-year agreement.

The 38-year-old, wearing a shiny gold New York Knicks hat with a gold chain dangling over a black SMS Audio T-shirt, spoke highly of both drivers and seemed enthusiastic about their youth. Both Kligerman and Whitt were "cool," he said; his interest in them came across as quite sincere (Kligerman impressed the NASCAR media corps by rattling off his favorite 50 Cent songs).

Jackson said he wasn't surprised Whitt, 22, and Kligerman, 23, were fans of hip hop music.

"When you get the guys who are younger - the new, fresh talent - they're going to be conscious of things around them," he said. "If you didn't choose hip hop as a genre of music to love, it's still so in your face - because hip hop culture is pop culture. It's just grown to that point."

Being a sponsor marks a big departure from last year, when he showed up at the track and tweeted about the lack of black people - a tweet he later deleted.

"It was a joke," he said. "It's one of those jokes you do and say, 'Why did I do that?' afterward. It's a joke because when you first come here, you know people are thinking that. It has that aura around it.

"Some people have been turned onto (NASCAR). For me, it's just perfect timing. After the great time I had last year, I'm back."